San Fran-A Lovely Vacation Destination

I recently returned from a road trip to San Francisco with Tatjana, Lis, and Kelly this past week! It was a fabulous vacation filled with many, many memorable moments. The drive through Nevada made me realize how much I really hate Nevada, but other than that, it was a grrrreat vacation!
Our road trip started off with a bang whilst we were admiring the general splendor of the Nevada (i.e.: sage brush, salt flats, dirt, puddles, police cars).  We were plugging (actually, it was more like flying) along through the great state of Nevada when in the rear view mirror we saw the ominous lights of a police vehicle flashing. We pulled over, the cop gave us a ticket. Within ten minutes, we were pulled over again for failing to change lanes when the cop car was pulled over. Luckily, we didn't get a ticket for that. Then, it was my turn to drive. I was going along (and I really was following all rules and regulations-I promise!) and then I went down a small hill. Well, those darn cops have all those speed trap areas staked out. I guess I gained some speed on this particular slight decline. I realized this, applied my brake, but it was too late. I saw out of the corner of my eye a black vehicle which wasted no time in peeling out on the gravel and flipping on those stupid lights. I felt like such an idiot. I pulled over and tried to put on my best scared-out-of-my-wits face (which wasn't hard since I was pretty much scared stiff...this was the first time I had ever been pulled over.) I said a silent prayer that the cop would be a nice one. I guess should have been more specific. I glanced in the rear view mirror to see what the cop looked like. To my great dismay, a lady stepped out of the car. My eyes started to fill with tears. I knew I was done for. She was really nice though. That was really all she had going for her though. She noted that we had been pulled over previously and asked if I had been driving then. I told her 'no.' I think she might have arrested me if I had been. Anyways, she printed up my first speeding ticket EVER. I took it without looking her in the eye. I was embarrassed, and frustrated. The rest of Nevada was really quite uneventful until we reached the boarder to which we all exclaimed our great joy to be out of that godforsaken chunk of land.
We visited the Oakland Temple, Alcatraz (which was awesome...definitely a must see if you go to San Fran), Chinatown (The best deals you'll ever find! They're even better than Savers. It was mind-blowing. Really.), the Painted Ladies, Coit Tower, Winchester Mansion, The Golden Gate Bridge (of course), Little Italy, Golden Gate Park, De Young Museum of Art, Farmer's Market (very cool, but ridiculously overpriced), Cable Car, Fisherman's Warf, and many others. It was a very eventful vacation and I enjoyed every minute of it. Here are a few photos for your enjoyment:

De Young Museum: It was super cool.

The Painted Ladies!

Lombard Street. I'm glad I wasn't driving.

This is me...in San Fran, by the ocean.

Alcatraz

Golden Gate Bridge!

This sign that drew a smile on my face was found in Little Italy by Miss Lis. 

Winchester Mansion

I think it can be agreed among all that this trip was really awesome.

Some memorable quotes:

Me: "That was the fastest trip across Nevada EVER!"

Kelly: "Yeah, we have the tickets to prove it too."

Upon arriving at the agriculture check point:

Agriculutre lady: "Do you have any produce?"

Lis: "Uh...chips?"

Kelly (in the back seat): "Yeah! DORITOS!"

(agriculture lady motions us to continue through)

I was literally dying of laughter in the back seat when this conversation took place.

Kelly flooded the bathroom in our first hotel. When we arrived at our second hotel, I guess the shower exploded or something. Lis came out with a pile of sopping wet clothes. I must have looked confused because all she said was, "I pulled a Kelly."

On the way back from Cali we got stuck in traffic by Donner Pass. It was pretty desperate...we almost had to resort to eating the weaklings. No, not really. :)

I-80 was closed down because it was "snowing." The roads were pretty clear. It was just kind of wet, and slushy. We were stuck in the same spot for something like 5 hours. The only way they would let you pass was if you had four wheel drive (which we didn't) or if you had chains on you tires (which we also didn't have). It was a joke. So, we semi-patiently awaited the time they would lift the warning which I guess was valid seeing as how we saw an SUV that had flipped, and a truck that had run into a bridge. Stupid Nevada/Cali drivers. They really don't know how to handle the snow. To kill the time, we played ipod Idol. I am quite sure that I strained my vocal chords while singing along with Lady Gaga. Great fun. I'm glad Tat was smart enough to think of that brilliant plan. I think that is  my new favorite game to play on road trips. We were waiting in line with something like 60 other people at the gas station to buy chains when they announced that the warning had been lifted. I was kind of upset, but at least we didn't have to pay 50 bucks for chains! :D

This was definitely a memorable trip. I am sure glad I was able to go with the lovely ladies that also went. They were a blast to be with. It was a good trip to have right before I leave in THREE WEEKS!